Power-off 180° Accuracy Approach and Landing

Between bad weather and a rather nasty case of the flu, today was the first day I've been able to go flying for a month and a half. I've decided to pursue my commercial rating, how quickly I am going to be able to move is still up in the air for a number of reasons, but looking at TPE 13462E Flight Test Guide - Commercial Pilot Licence - Aeroplane has given me a number of new skills, to develop and practice. Today I practiced some stalls, steep turns and something new to me the Power-off 180° Accuracy Approach and Landing.

This is a standard kind of approach for a Cessna 172, but my Cherokee 180 with the "Hershey" bar wing glides like, well like a brick. From 1000 feet above the runway, given that the speed on downwind is quite a bit higher than best gliding speed, it will fly for about 1.5 miles (2.5 km). Now I have done lots of practice forced approaches where a simulated engine failure requires the pilot to select a suitable field and conduct an approach that will result in a landing in that field. Usually once it is apparent that the field can be reached (or not of the pilot has done a bad job) the approach is abandoned and the plane climbs away. Some times small airports are quiet enough that one can continue the practice forced approach all the way to landing. Usually one starts a simulated engine failure from higher than 1000 feet, but not always. It is a somewhat different mind set to pick a point in the sky, close the throttle and glide without power to an accurate landing. It is good general pilot skills practice and I had a good time today doing it.

Four out of five of the accuracy approaches I was able to do were OK. The first one I was too far out and had to use power. The second, third and fifth I was a bit too close and had to forward slip to loose altitude. The forth was the best. I took the video camera to try to capture some of the action, but it was being cranky. If it isn't broken maybe I'll get some tomorrow.